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A man who raped a woman who was walking her dog in a park in Vienna has been arrested in Greece under an international warrant after police traced him using a DNA sample.

Austrian justice officials have requested that the man, a Romanian citizen with previous criminal convictions, should be extradited to Austria.

A 39-year-old woman was attacked and raped on September 30th as she was walking her dog in Löwygrube park in the 10th district at around 8pm. A man suddenly grabbed her by her hair and dragged her into the bushes. When she tried to scream for help her attacker hit her in the face and choked her with her scarf. After he had raped her he took her mobile phone and ran off.

The woman was able to ask walkers in the park for help and they called the police. She was taken to hospital, and doctors found DNA traces from the rapist.

Police spokesman Thomas Keiblinger said that the woman had been very brave and done exactly what she ought to do after such an attack. “It's very important for the police investigation that a rape victim should immediately go to hospital for a medical examination. I know that it's hard not to be able to have a shower first or change clothes but this is the only way to secure DNA traces as evidence.”

A record of the suspect's DNA was found in both German and Romanian police databases. “He already served time in prison in Germany for robbery, and he was then deported to Romania on September 19th,” Keiblinger said.

However, shortly after being deported the 36-year-old man entered Austria. Police say they don't believe that he had a fixed address in Vienna, and that he probably fled to Greece almost immediately after the rape. He was arrested on November 10th.